Relief valve



March 16, 1937. x.,f/M. WILKlNs RELI EF VALVE Filed April 26, 1934 Patented Mar. 16,'

s PATENT' OFFICE RELIEF VALVE James M. Wilkins-firearm, nl., assignor t Mueller JCo., Decatur, lll., a corporation of Illinois Appucatitn-Atrn ze, 1934, serian 10,722,517

y Claims. The present invention relates to relief valves,

and, particularly, a valve adapted for use in a fluid line to relieve the same upon the occurrence o f excessive pressure, and hasfor its objects to l provide a high. pressure relief valve which, al-

though held on its seat by a' relatively heavy spring, will not be injured by constant` pressure; which is of' compact construction, and the cooperating elements of which are so disposed and balanced that wear will be evenly distributed and the valve will operate efficiently for an indefinite period of time. l

In the drawing herewith is shown one form of the.invention, but it .will be understoodthat the drawing is illustrative andin no sense restrictive, as the invention may be developed in various mechanical ways.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the i Y center of the valve, showing the valve in its closed position;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view' taken along the line 2-'2 of Figure l; i I Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view' similar to Figure 1 but showing the valve in its open posi- .'25 tion; and

Figure 4 shows the details of the valve and the guiding element which carries the same.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, like numerals designating like parts throughout the several views, Iindicates the valve casing, said casing comprising a body member II and a bonnet I2. The body member and bonnet are provided with sharp outwardly aring portions I3, and the bonnet has integral therewith a downwardly extending interiorly screw threaded flange I4 which embraces and is threaded to the perimeter of the flared portion I3 of the bodyV member. Carried between the body member and bonnet is anexible diaphragm I5, said 'diaphragm being 40 preferably composed of a plurality of thin layl 'ers of copper, or the like. The diaphragm divides the interior of the casing into a bonnet chamber and a body member chamber. A metallic retaining ring I6 is disposed between the bonnet and the diaphragmand a soft Washer l1 is disposed between the body member and the diaphragm, in order that a fluid-tight seal may be formedwhen the' bonnet is screwed tightly onto the body member.- The diaphragm carries the valve mechanism, aswill be hereinafter described. i

Y The lower end of the body member merges into a' circular screw threaded extension I9- which forms the lower end of the inlet passage, said extension being exteriorly screw threaded or suitably fitted for attachment to the uid line or container in which pressure reliefis desired.

rThe body member is provided with an integral outlet' passage `20 which is substantially surrounded by the inlet passage, said passage being y interiorly screw threaded as shown at 2l, or .otherwise fitted for connection with an exhaust line or the like. The upper end of the passage 2U is screw threaded as at 2 3 for the reception of v the valve seat mem'ber 24, which constitutes a fluid-way between the body member chamber and the outlet.

The diaphragm I5 is receed at its center to. carry the valve mechanism, the details of which 'are shown in Figure 4. The valve mechanism includes a central valv'e guiding element 25, said element including a hollow Y cup-shaped sleeve 26 extending above the diaphragm, a flanged portion 21 which abuts the upper surface of the diaphragm, and a continuation 28 of sleeve 26 which passes through the diaphragm and extends into Athe body member. The valve guiding member is adapted to receive therein an upwardly extending stem 3B of a valve 3|, said stem having a sliding t within sleeve 26. l r

It will be noted that the diameter of the valve stemv 30 and the interior diameter of the sleeve 28 and 26 is substantially as great as the diameter of the fluid-way in the valve seat 24. -This arrangement is important, in that it insures a rm and even guiding of the valve onto its seat to pre- Avent uneven wear o f the valve seating surface, as will be hereinafter described. 4

'Asecondary spring 32 is enclosed withinl the sleeve 26 between the inner end wall thereof and the upper end of the stem 3U, said spring serving to press the valve to its seat when vthe fluid-pressure in'the'line is normal. `By' a.r'ranging the springin this manner, it will be se'en that, although the spring is in the iuid side of the dlaephragm, yet it is above the` same, thus permitting material shortening of the valve body. The lower sleeve portion 28 is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed 'apertures 33, said. apertures being adapted to' receive the ends o'f a pin, 34 which is rigidly held an aperture through the valve stem 30. It will be noted that the apertures 33 arel of considerably greater diameter than the diameter of I the. pin 3l, this arrangement serving to permit longitudinali sliding movement of the valve stem 30 -within the sleeve 28 and 26. While the apertures 33 are shown as being circulanit is obvious that these apertures maybe elongated vertically, and inl either case, the cooperation of the apertures 33 and the sleeve.

is seated, there will be no tendency for the valve lwith thepin u permits longitudinal movement ofthe valve stem 3l within the sleeve, while at the same time, the cooperation of these elements /prevents relative rotation between the valve stem For this reason, when the valve to be rotated upon itsseat. f

A relatively heavyloading spring -35 is concentric with and encloses the sleeve 26, said spring bearing, at its lower end, upon the upper surface of the ilange 2'| of :the guiding element,

the upper end of saidspring being retained by the follower 36. The follower is recessed centrally of its upper surface at 3l, and the end of an adjusting screw 33 engages the follower within this recess. The. adjusting screw is .threaded within the upper end of the bonnet at Y 39, so that the tension of the loading spring may be adjusted in the well known manner.

A cap 39' is placed ver the head of the adjusting screw 33 after the screw has been adjusted for theproper`pressurejthe lower end of the cap abutting against the upper end of the valve. casing. Aligned holes 33'` and l0' are bored into the adjusting screw and cap, respectively. A cotter pin p is inserted into the apertures 'Il' and 33' to secure the cap to the adjusting screw, and to prevent setting up on the adjustingscrew toincrease the tension on the 30, loading spring 35, and thusraise the `pressure limit at which the valve relieves. However, it

, will be noted that the provision of the cap 3 9' does not prevent the imscrewing of the adjusted screw 33 in order to relieve the pressure ofthe loading spring and thus lower the pressure limit at which the valve 'Ihe valve mechaliqtg: -.i n secured to the' diao! the retaining nut Il which is threaded exteriorly' of the lower sleeve por- 40 tion 23, so that when nut; Il 'is tightened, the diaphragm-is gripped between the nut andthe A.Anumber;o'fspacedstoplugis Il :impro-- videdontheinnersurfaoeofthebodymember 45 yat the inner end of the inlet'. Vsaid lugst fbeing circularly disposed around theV valve and the valveea By reason of the spacing` of stop lugs l fluid fmm the inlet I3 may between them .to theloweisurtace ofthe dia- 50 phragm. cyr-wen ni.' the dispo-*- sltionV of. the sto'p lugs llfin the irlet passage, the rushoffluidpast the same when 4the valve is actuated will keep the faces of the lugs clean, thu'sinsuring even engagement of 55 saidlugs with the retaining nut Il. When the `diaphragm is moved downwardly under pressure oi',- the loading springl, the lowe'isurface/of the retaining nut will me the Btop`lugs. Il to limit the movement of the ,L andpro- 60 :vide n ilrm'oeatral 'mortier the same. That 1a. at-nompl iluid pressure, the. diaphragm is mppora in relieved Ycontinentsshown:in rig an insert of relatively soft material I3 Where it engages the valve-seat, in order to make a tight fluid pressure seal. In relief valves which are arranged to operate at high pressure, it is 'essential that a suitably powerful loading spring be provided, and it is obvious that the pressure of `such a loading spring' would not only tendto rupture the-diaphragm, but would also injure the soft insert of the valve by forcing it with too great pressure against its seat. Therefore, the above described construction is admirably suited for relief valves of this character, in that Vrupture of the diaphragm and injury to thevalve insert is .prevented without impairing the 'oper-A ating efiiciency of the valve7 It will be observed that, by reason of the sharp flare |3 of the body member and bonnet, a relatively large diaphragm area results. Con- Xversely, it will be'noted that the upper surface of the valve 3| as at 43 (Figure 4) is relatively small. In addition, the lower surface of the valve which extends out over the valve seat as at Il (Figure 1) presents a pressure area which tends tocounteract the downward pressure en `the upper surface of the valve. By providing a relatively large diaphragm pressure area cou, pled with an almost negligible downward pressure area on the upper surface of the valve, little fluid pressure resistance is offered when the diaphragm is actuated by excessive pressure to lift -the valve from the s eat.l Such ,a construction `avoids the necessity of providing additional mechanical means for accelerating the upward movement ofth'e diaphragm when the critical point isfgeached, i. e., the point when the diaphragmfis just about to lift the valve from its seat.yAt 'this`point,- it has been found that the tendency of Vthe -valve to stick to its seat, coupled with downward iluidl pressure on the valve, often delays relief/.until the set pressure is exceeded. 1

'In operation, the valve will be connected intoy n the fluid line, `and fluid will ow from said line ahdpass through the' inlet i9 up through the '.body member` and between the lugs 4| to the lower'surface of the diaphragm. At normal fluid'.

i pressure, the loading spring'35 will hold the diaphragm in closed positionfwith the retaining nutA l lli resting upon the lugs 4|.- When the valve is in this position, stated above, it will belield f upon its seat solelyby the pressure of the secondary'spring 32, and the valve will not be lifted from its seat byminor fluctuations of pressure.v

Ihat is, a sudden excess of pressure which immediately fails could `raisethe diaphragm against the pressure of the loading spring 35 for a short distance,V thus decreasing the force exertedby spring 32, withoutlifting the valve from'its seat, it belngobvlous that .the secondary spring 32 will retain the valve on its seat until the lower su'rure l, and there is thus no tendency for the diafaces' of' the apertures 3 3 engage-the pin 34. l

phragm to become disrupted with 7 0 u is 'snbsununnnmuy inenten within the circular or elongated apertures 33, so that the valve 3|' is pressed upon its seat solely by the .pressure of the secondary spring 32, rather than being -iammed thereon by the' force of the heavy 'Hspring 3l.

However, when an' excessivey and sustained pressure arises inthe fluid line, it will lift the diaphragm until the lower surfaces of the apertures 33 engage the 'pin 3l, Aand if this pressure exceeds 'the predetermined pressure for which the loading spring 35 is set, further upward movement will carry the,valve stem and thus ,lift -valve 3| from its seat. In Figure 3, the diaphragm is shown lifted against the pressure of -the loading spring, and it will be observed that the fluid will vent through the fluid-way provided by the valve seat 24 and out through the outlet 2|.

ment willbe cushioned by the compression of the secondary spring 32. Further downward movement will then result in the locking nut 40 engaging the lugs 4 I, at which time the diaphragm will be at restposition as in Figure 1, and reset for further operation. It will be noted that, by reason of the provision of the secondary spring 32 and the sliding t of the valv'e stem'within the guiding element, the valve will not be driven upon its seat by the heavyY pressure of the .loading spring. Furthermore, the sliding fit of the valve stem within the guiding sleeve assures that the valve will properlycontact with its seat. Proper contact or seating of the valve is extremely im portant since it has been found that uneven wear f of the packing insert results when the mechanism is of such construction lthat lateral move,-

ment of the valve with respect to its seat can occur. This is due to the fact that after such actuation, the valve may be reseated in a different position. y -This uneven wear results in high pressure fluid seeping through the valve when it is seated, thus resulting in undesirable loss of pressure and in a tendency for the high pressure to rotate the valve upon its seat. It will be further noted that, by reason of the cooperation of the pin 34 within the apertures 33, any such rotation is prevented.

Such departure from the construction here disclosed as amounts only to mechanical skill may be made without departing from the range of the invention.

I claimzy 1. A relief valve comprising a casing, a diaphragm, a loading spring between one end of said casing and said diaphragm, inlet and outlet passages in the opposite end of said casing, said inlet passage substantially surrounding said outlet passage, lsaid outlet passage including a valve seat, diaphragm arresting means on said casing ,p

around said valve seat and in said inlet passage, a valve for said outlet passage, said valve being carried by and adapted to have movement with respect to said diaphragm, means carried by said diaphragm to engage said arresting means to limit movement of the diaphragm under pressure of said loading spring, and means within said floading springand carried by said diaphragm for maintaining said valve on its seat when movement of the diaphragm is arrested.

2. A relief valve comprising a body member and a bonnet member, a flexible diaphragm between said members forming with them respectively a body chamber and a bonnet chamber, a loading spring between said bonnet member and said diaphragm, inlet and outlet passages in said body member, said outlet passage including a valve seat, a valve memberfor said seat having a stem, a guiding sleeve for said stem included in said diaphragm, said sleeve extending into and being open at one end thereof to said body cham` ber to receive saidI valve stem and being closed at the other end thereof and having a flange engaging said diaphragm, said flange providing a seat for `said loading spring, a secondary spring in said sleeve in engagement with the end of said valve stem to retain said valve on its seatI during initial movements of said diaphragm, said sleeve extending into said bonnet chamber and said loading spring a distance substantially equal to the' lengthv of said valve member, cooperating means carried by said sleeve and said valve stem providing for longitudinal and preventing rota-v tional movement of said valve with respect to said sleeve and said valve seat, a plurality of diaphragm stop lugs on the wall of said body chamber and spaced from surfaces of said lugs eing in a plane parallel to the plane of said valve seat, and a nut threaded on the end of said guide sleeve which extends into said body chamber t`o clamp said diaphragm between said nut and the ange of said sleeve, said nut being adapted to engage said lugs and having its outer engaging face in a plane parallel to the plane of said valve seat and the engaging surfaces of said lugs.

3. A relief valve comprising a body'member and abonnet member, a flexible diaphragm between said members forming with them respectively, a body chamber and a bonnet chamber, av

loading spring between said bonnet member and said diaphragm, inlet and outlet passages in said body member, said outlet passage including a v valve seat, a valve member for said seat having a stem, a guiding sleeve for said stem included in said' diaphragm, said sleeve extending into and being open at one end thereof to said body chamber to receive said valve stem and being closed at the other end .thereof and having a ange engaging said diaphragm, a secondary spring in` said sleeve in engagement with the end of said valve stem to retain said valve on its seat during initial movements of said diaphragm, said sleeve extending a substantial distance into said bonnet chamber and said loading spring, cooperating means carried by said sleeve and said valve stem providing for longitudinal and preventing rotasaid/meat, the engaging tional movement of said valve with respect to y said sleeve and said valve seat, a plurality of diaphragm stop lugs on the wall of said body charnber and spaced, from said .valve seat, the engaging surfaces of said lugs being in a plane parallel to the plane of said valve seat, and a nut threaded on the end of said guide sleeve which extends intosaid body chamber to clamp said diaphragm between said nut and the flange of said sleeve.

JAMES M. WILKINS. 

